The Williams Nwaneri sweepstakes has come to an end. The Top-5 recruit in the Class of 2024 committed to Missouri on Monday August 14th over the likes of Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Oregon.

Outside of Luther Burden III, no other recruit during the Eliah Drinkwitz era has garnered as much fanfare as Nwaneri. The Lee’s Summit North product is the second highest rated recruit to commit to Missouri according to the 247sports.com Composite ranking, just behind Dorial Green-Beckham who was the top rated recruit in the 2012 class. Nwaneri has been heralded as a program-changing prospect for years, and it was pivotal for Drinkwitz and Co. to keep him within the state’s borders.

Nwaneri immediately bumps the Tigers’ 2024 class to 55th from 60th in the nation, and there are still some big time commitments which could bump the class up even further. Nwaneri will look to carry the torch as the next key member of “D-Line Zou.”

Get to know: Williams Nwaneri

Hometown: Lee’s Summit, MO

High School: Lee’s Summit North

Position: Defensive End

Ht/Wt: 6-foot-5, 250 lbs.

Rivals Ranking: No. 3 National, No. 1 DE

247Composite Ranking: No. 3 National, No. 1 DE

Total announced offers: 37

Offers to note: Georgia, Tennessee, Oregon, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas, Texas A&M

The first thing to note with Nwaneri: 9.5 times out of 10, he’s winning the first step against opposing offensive linemen. He consistently gets his hands on blockers first thanks to a lightning-quick get-off, and his arsenal of swim moves and stunts is well-polished.

Nwaneri clearly has great burst for his size, and his open field speed is nothing to scoff at either. He’s strong in both run defense and pass rush, but it will be interesting to see if he bulks up and shifts inside or remains on the edge, as he played in both spots throughout his high school career.

All in all, the film shows why Nwaneri is so highly-touted. That first step and subsequent burst around/through offensive linemen is something that just cannot be taught, and his violence at the point of attack keeps blockers off balance. On top of that, he has some of the best sideline-to-sideline coverage of stretch/sweep plays that I’ve seen out of a defensive line prospect, in large part thanks to a rare ability at his size to fluidly change direction.

Blake Baker will have an immeasurable amount of fun shifting Nwaneri into positions to wreak havoc.